Many business, and other, enterprises make regular use of computer processing devices. And, for many, the ready availability of, and use of, computer processing devices is a practical necessity of operation of the enterprise. And, with advancing technologies, the capabilities of such computer processing devices is increasing while the costs of such devices are falling. Increased usage of, and reliance upon, computer devices is likely to increase.
Computer processing, and other, devices are herein referred to as IT (Information Technology) assets. The IT assets are sometimes connected together to permit data to be exchanged between the assets or otherwise to provide for communications therebetween. The interconnections are provided, for instance, by way of a wide area network, either a public or private network. The network sometimes also includes, for instance, wireless connections permitting the connection of an asset to the network by way of a radio link. When networked together, communications between the IT assets permit, e.g., work tasks to be performed at different ones of the assets and the results of the work tasks to be communicated elsewhere. Assessing of work tasks is carried out, for instance, concurrently, using the assets positioned at multiple enterprise locations for different segments of the work tasks are performed at the different enterprise locations in manners best to utilize the capabilities and availabilities of the assets at the different locations.
In many enterprises, an IT organization is encharged with oversight of the IT infrastructure of the enterprise, that is to say the IT organization is encharged, amongst other things, with maintaining the operability of the IT assets of the organization. When the assets are interconnected by way of a network, or other, connection, the assets are sometimes able to be controlled remotely. Personnel of the IT organization are sometimes thereby able remotely to place an IT asset back into service subsequent to a malfunction thereof. Through such capability, the IT organization is better able efficiently to provide personnel that have the greatest, or best available, expertise to diagnose a malfunction and to repair, or otherwise correct, the malfunction. The need otherwise to maintain appropriate personnel at each of the disparate locations of the enterprise is reduced, or obviated.
When the IT organization includes personnel at a location remote from an IT asset at which a malfunction, or other incident, occurs, the personnel must be alerted of the occurrence of the incident. Procedures involving the generation and communication of so-called trouble tickets are sometimes used to alert IT personnel of the IT incident. A trouble ticket is created, e.g., at a computer work station. The trouble ticket typically includes a worklog set forth in diary form that permits entry of information in diary, i.e., free-flow form. Subsequent to an initial report, subsequent reports associated with the incident are also sometimes entered into the worklog. For instance, a first entry pertains to the initial report of the incident, and subsequent entries are made to provide status updates, diagnostic reports, repair reports, etc.
Because of the typical free-flow format of the worklog portion of a trouble ticket, the text of the worklog might become so lengthy as to be difficult to read and comprehend the problem and the status of its resolution. And, as a result, degraded remediation of the problem becomes more likely. Inaccurate status updates, increased MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), and increased confusion related to the incident and its resolution are all more likely to occur due to the potentially poor readability of the worklog.
If an improved manner could be provided by which to form a trouble ticket, or worklog portion thereof, improved readability would be provided. And, improved resolution or other remediation of the incident is more likely to occur.
It is in light of this background information related to resolution of IT incidents that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.